What are our boundaries and where can we play? Perspectives from eight‐ to ten‐year‐old Australian metropolitan and rural children

Abstract

This study took place in an inner metropolitan Adelaide school and a rural school on Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast. We compare 33 eight‐ to 10‐year‐old children’s accounts of what the area is like for them. What are the rules and boundaries and who sets them? Metropolitan children were found to have tighter boundaries and required adult supervision to use facilities that rural children could use unsupervised. Rural children negotiated freedom of movement by considering broad principles about safety. Findings increase our understanding of how children perceive movement within their communities, and suggest policies and environmental changes to increase freedom of movement. Study findings raise concerns about the way the environment is designed for social planning, and the importance of children’s engagement and interaction with the natural environment.